Ukranian admits running hardcore child porn site

NEWARK, New Jersey (AP) -- U.S. prosecutors say a Ukrainian man who founded and operated an international hardcore child sexual abuse website has pleaded guilty and agreed to a 30-year prison term.

Maksym Shynkarenko was charged in June 2012 with operating a network of websites and faced a 32-count indictment. The 35-year-old pleaded guilty Wednesday to operating a child-exploitation enterprise in connection with the website, which he ran from 2005-2008.

Prosecutors say the ongoing investigation into the website Shynkarenko operated has led to convictions in 47 states of more than 600 U.S.-based customers, including 30 men convicted in New Jersey.

Authorities have called Shynkarenko the most significant distributor of child porn ever prosecuted in the U.S. He's scheduled to be sentenced on April 15.